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The Denver Broncos under new head coach Sean Payton may be in the market for more tight ends despite the seeming emergence of last year’s rookie Greg Dulcich. If that is indeed the case, then one player they might want to look at it Iowa Hawkeyes tight end Sam LaPorta.
Sam LaPorta — Tight End — Iowa
Height: 6’3” Weight: 245 lbs.
Hands: 10 1/4” | Arm Length: 32 1/8” | Broad Jump: 10’3” | Vertical: 35”
40 Yard Dash: 4.59 | 3 Cone Drill: 6.91 | 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.25
Frankly, I came out of 2022 a big fan of Greg Dulcich and felt like there was a ton of potential there. Perhaps the Broncos interest in the position is more due to Albert Okwuegbunam, but we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out in training camp. It certainly looks like they intend to look at tight ends in this draft.
A guy like LaPorta could provide the pass-catching threat Payton would want within his offensive system, but he wouldn’t be a great fit early on running downs.
Film Room and Highlights
Scouting Report
Positives: A true pass-catching tight end. It is reported that he has route trees that include both tight end and wide receiver routes. If you liked Greg Dulcich last year, you’ll probably love Sam LaPorta in a Broncos uniform.
Negatives: Needs a lot of work in the run game. If you didn’t like Albert Okquegbunam in the run game, you’ll hate Sam LaPorta in the run game.
Overall: Middle Rounds
Fit With the Broncos
Despite the aforementioned issues in the run game, I feel like that is something this staff could coach up. You can’t coach up pure pass-catching talent. I’d be perfectly fine with the Broncos using one of their third-round picks to draft a guy like Sam LaPorta.
Watching the highlights in the passing game at Iowa, LaPorta would provide a down-the-seam type of receiving threat that Sean Payton’s offense would love to have, especially in the red zone. I still believe Greg Dulcich can be a dude in the NFL, though, so I’d be fine either way.
How would you feel about the Broncos targeting Sam LaPorta with one of their third-round picks?
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